Mortars land in Israel as Gaza Strip crossings still close

Palestinian activists in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip fired two mortar shells into southern Israel on Friday, an Israeli police spokesman said. According to Reuters, the spokesman said the shells landed in a farming community near the border with the Gaza Strip and caused no casualties.

Meanwhile, Israel allowed fuel to reach the Gaza Strip's sole power station on Friday, but kept border crossings closed for a third consecutive day, Israeli officials said. A European Union official said an estimated 600,000 litres of industrial fuel would be pumped through the Nahal Oz border terminal to the Strip's power station, enough to keep the plant running for several days.

Israeli military liaison official Peter Lerner confirmed the delivery of fuel but said other border crossings used to bring in supplies remained closed. Israel closed those crossings on Wednesday, one day after Palestinians started to fire rockets on Israeli targets.